Jitte, Edo period

[Timo Nieminen]

I think that if the truncheon were newly discovered by the English-speaking world, "jitte" would be the best choice for its English name. However, "jutte" is already out there, and common. We could bypass the question and just write "十手".

(Not that using Chinese characters frees us from ambiguity. One interesting and annoying ambiguity is that the same character is used for catapult and cannon. Makes it hard to tell which is used in early sources. Even descriptions of explosions doesn't help, since catapults were used to throw gunpowder bombs.)

Of course, if I was the One Who Decides Correct Usage, I could pick one and decree it to be the One True Name for the truncheon. But since I'm not in that position of authority, I'll just have to let the community decide.

My jutte/jitte, except for some overtly modern martial arts ones, are shown here:
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=16220

[kronckew]

じって and 十手 both google translate into english as 'truncheon'. both have the transliteration of 'jitte' under the two japanese forms.

i suggest we need a japanese citizen to decide what we are to call something from their history...prefereably a weapons collector/dealer. i will ask mine.

edited:
i just did (he must be up late).

...
We call both Jitte and Jutte.
You can see wiki in detail
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jitte
Thank you,
Tachi

i'll ask what he calls the yarijitte.

[kronckew]

aha! i should read tachi's ref. first:

it's a karakuri jitte


edited:
tachi says:

It is kind of Jitte or Jutte.
We call Marohoshi

[kronckew]

just added a kabutowari jitte/jutte to the japanese part of my collection, on it's way from japan.

supposedly showa period, 1926–1989 - prbably latter part.

roughly 25 in. LOA, 'blade/hook' about 14.5 in. in mounts and saya. 645grams in saya. metal fittings look untarnished - gold/gold plated?